Championship feel as new-look Tipp get set for greatest test yet

GAA: Allianz National Hurling League Division 1B Round 4 Preview

By Shane Brophy

TIPPERARY v WATERFORD

FBD Semple Stadium

Saturday, 11th March

Throw-in @ 7.15pm

Referee: James Owens (Wexford)

The National Hurling League has come in for a lot of debate in recent years about its status in terms of its relation to the championship.

On the positive side, the less competitive nature allows counties a chance to blood players without the pressure of having to get results. On the flip side, you don’t know what you might get from a team from one game to the next as ultimately, they are building towards the summer. Well, this Saturday evening should be one of the competitive end of the scale as Tipperary and Waterford go head-to-head in Thurles.

In terms of the league, the game takes on massive importance with two matches to go before the semi-finals. A win for Tipperary would see them secure top spot and a semi-final spot with a game to spare, allowing the management the possibility of using the final game against Antrim for more experimentation, and also keep the front-line players fresh going into the busy part of the season.

However, a defeat would require Tipp to have to get a result in Belfast to reach the semi-finals, and while the likelihood is that a semi-final will be against a Munster rival in Cork, Limerick or Clare from division 1A, the more games this developing Tipperary side get the better.

And with one eye on the championship, which is now just six weeks away, Tipperary manager Liam Cahill has hinted he will be sending out a strong line-up on Saturday.

“As the league comes towards its closure in the group stages, we can start to really put structure in our squad from here on in. We’ll probably see more regular bodies playing as the league comes towards it end,” he said.

Last weekend saw Tipperary head to Kerry for a training camp as they build up to a busy schedule which they hope will take in knockout games in the league before the start of the championship against Clare on April 23rd.

The clash with Waterford also serves as a teaser to the championship clash between the sides at FBD Semple Stadium on May 28th, the final round of the Munster round-robin when both sides will be hoping to have the qualification fate for a provincial final or the All-Ireland Series still in their hands.

Indeed, Waterford will be very familiar with Semple Stadium by the time their campaign comes to and end, as with Walsh Park being closed for refurbishment, this Saturday’s game will be their first of at least four at the Thurles venue as their two Munster Championship games against Limerick and Clare will be played there, as well as the Tipperary game, plus maybe a Munster final and more.

Then there is Tipperary manager Liam Cahill coming up against his former Waterford charges whom he guided to league glory less than twelve months ago, but following which their season fell apart in the championship, from where Cahill stepped down after three relatively successful years which included an All-Ireland Final appearance in 2020.

However, the Ballingarry clubman wasn’t being drawn on this Saturday nights game having an extra edge to it because of his familiarity with the opposition.

“Ah look, it’s two new managers with two new teams, both teams are going try I suppose to stamp their ground leading into the championship,” he said.

“Nobody knows when we meet in the championship whether we’ll both be vying for a Munster final or a top three position in Munster.

“So, I think we will have to meet and acquit ourselves well and make sure we are familiar with each come the real test which will be the championship towards the end of May.”

Another reason this game is important for Tipperary to win is their wretched recent record against the Deise. The last time Tipperary defeated Waterford was on March 1st 2020 in Semple Stadium in Liam Cahill’s first time coming up against his native county in which referee Sean Stack sent three players to the line, Waterford’s Austin Gleeson and Kevin Moran, and Tipperary’s Cathal Barrett. Tipp won 0-24 to 2-16 and while they could have won by much more but for the excellence of Stephen O’Keeffe. The late Dillon Quirke made his debut in attack for Tipp and scored four points from play.

Since then, it has been a tale of woe for Tipperary with decisive league defeats at Walsh Park in 2021 and 2022, as well as championship defeats in both years, including an All-Ireland quarter final. Throw in the Munster League game at the start of January, the Deise are on a five-game winning run against Tipperary and bringing a halt to that before the summer would be another box ticked.

As much as what more we will learn from Tipperary on Saturday, new Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald will the same for his charges. While they have been unbeaten in the league so far, he hasn’t learned a lot about his side, bar the opening round draw with Dublin which they earned with thirteen men.

He hasn’t put out a full team so far, but you would expect that Austin Gleeson will start for the first-time having come off the bench in their three games to date, while Michael Kiely will be available after suspension after missing the win over Antrim.

Both sides will know a lot more about themselves come 9.00pm on Saturday night and I doubt if we will see much shadow-boxing in this one. There are psychological impacts even at this stage of the year, you only have to look at how a Liam Cahill managed Waterford side in the league games in 2021 and 2022, created enough doubts in the Tipperary minds that carried over into the summer championship games.

In terms of the Tipperary team, you would think it would be as strong as possible, with maybe up to twelve of the side that at this stage might lineout in the first round of the championship. Cathal Barrett and Niall O’Meara remain out while Brian McGrath will struggle to feature with a hamstring injury, however, the extra two weeks might have allowed Conor Stakelum to get back up to speed following his hamstring issue and his all-action style will be an asset against this Waterford side who like to work the ball through the middle.

You would really like to see Tipperary take the game to Waterford from the off, put them on the back foot, particularly the forwards. Defensively, if Patrick Fitzgerald and Dessie Hutchinson start on the inside line, they will really test Conor McCarthy and Johnny Ryan, while will the management go back to Michael Breen at full back or go with Bryan O’Mara again.

So many things we want to know about the likely make-up of Tipperary’s best fifteen come championship, injury permitting, we should find out this Saturday night.